Weekend Update V.1

January 12, 2013

Here’s a quick update on what’s going on in South America…

The Plaza de Mulas camp on the descent (Photo: Tye Chapman)

On Aconcagua, Ty Gimenez and his team tagged the top this morning! The weather held nicely and it didn’t snow until they had already rolled back into camp. 7 of 8 made the top, and an excellent effort by all. They’ll head downhill to Plaza de Mulas tomorrow and will hit the trailhead on Monday.

Mike Hamill and his private Aconcagua team were shooting for Confluencia Camp tonight. They’re heading up a different route which puts them at Plaza de Mulas tomorrow night. If you’re doing the math, they’ll be there the same night as Ty and his crew. It’s a pretty cool feeling to walk into camp knowing you have friends waiting for you.

On the other side of the mountain is Peter Anderson and his crew. They haven’t checked in, but no news is good news, so we’re sure they’re just plugging along en route to Base Camp.

Down in Punta Arenas, Chile is Greg and a couple of his Vinson climbers; they’ve officially wrapped up and are all en route home with their summit!

Up in Ecuador is Phil and his team. They enjoyed the market in Otavalo today and a nice dinner in Old Town. They’ll head out to Pasochoa tomorrow for an acclimatization hike. The weather has been good which makes everything easier.

And way up north (or south based on perspective) is Austin Shannon and Dustin Balderach and their Mexico Volcanoes team. They’re just getting settled in. Tomorrow they’ll load up and head out on their acclimatization hike near Ixta.